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Chlorine, a chemical element whose name means “pale green,” is explored from a number of angles in this informative Topic in Depth.

We’ve all heard of chlorine being used in swimming pools and drinking water, but this jack-of-all-trades chemical element is also used in making everything from plastics and dry cleaning products to insecticides and pharmaceuticals.

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology allows nearly anything to be tracked without human intervention, using transceiver tags and an electronic reader with radio communication. It is often used in inventory management, theft prevention, and vehicle identification.

As global dependence on fossil fuels is increasingly called into question, many nations, organizations, and individuals are exploring the use of biodiesel, a renewable fuel derived from vegetable oils (or animal fat), as an alternative power source.

This Topic in Depth explores data mining, also known as knowledge discovery in databases. Data mining is used to extract implicit, previously unknown, but potentially useful information from raw data. It is a blend of three main subjects: statistics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.

Often, true data mining is characterized by a self-acting program and a unique blend of knowledge discovery and prediction that allows individuals and businesses to sort and classify very large amounts of data quickly and efficiently. Data mining programs can be tailored to meet the needs of the users, whether that need is for the forecasting of future investments, or simply the need to recognize patterns among the data being analyzed.

Quaternary Studies examines the geologic period of the Quaternary, the last two million years up to the present day. Glaciers formed and receded; animals evolved and went extinct. Here, visitors can learn all about current research and education initiatives in this field of stratigraphic geology.